Sleepless
by hidingunderblankets
Summary: A sleepy Toon Link seeks a bedtime story from Bowser. The Koopa states he'll read him one if he fulfills a request for him. When the boy returns, however, Bowser is dumbfounded at what he sees.


On the Frigate Orpheon stage, Bowser sat on the edge of the higher platform, reading one of a stack of books he'd brought along with him. He'd read most of them already and had just started a new one. The lights had lowered and the sky blue lights on the stage shined mightily.

Lost in words, he didn't notice Toon Link teleport onstage from the lower platform. The small boy didn't have his hat on, revealing his messy blonde hair. In one hand was a pillow and in the other a blanket. He looked greatly tired. The Wind Waker let out a great yawn and began scuffing.

He stopped and looked up at the platform floating before him. He listened closely and heard baritone humming. He had no clue who it came from. He stared upwards for a moment before murmuring and throwing his pillow and blanket on to the platform. Both of them made it.

Bowser's ears picked up the sounds of someone throwing sheets and pillows. He stopped his reading and turned left. He found a pillow and blanket on the edge of the platform. Not recalling the items being there before, he scratched his head. He saw a pair of hands grab on to the stage from below. Their owner hoisted himself up, and Bowser learned it was Toon Link who'd arrived. The boy rose up and grabbed the pillow and blanket. He saw Bowser, and the two stared at each other. Bowser gave the child a risen brow.

Toon Link broke eye contact as he lowered his head and approached Bowser. The creature watched as he dragged himself, and his things, and took a seat besides him. His head remained lowered as he sat, dropping his pillow and blanket. He exhaled and mumbled again.

"Uh?" Bowser said, unsure of how to respond. Toon Link looked like he was about to drop lifeless. The Hyrulian only responded with more soft babbling. Bowser rolled his eyes and returned to reading.

_I haven't the time to deal with kids. It's bad enough those Eskimo brats ran me out of my own bedroom._

The two sat in silence until Toon Link turned his head towards Bowser. He looked at the monster with his dulled face before getting up again, stepping over his pillow and he poked his head into Bowser's book. He found pictures on one of the pages. Bowser jerked the novel back and scooted away slightly.

"Hey!" he yelled angrily. Toon Link barely reacted to Bowser.

"What's that you're reading?" he asked Bowser in a low voice.

"Not telling," Bowser stated as he resumed reading. Toon Link, not phased by Bowser's words, approached him again and attempted to view the book. Bowser pushed Toon Link, sending him back and landing on his rump. The Koopa king growled. "Why must you bug me?"

"I can't sleep without a bedtime story," Toon Link whined as he stood up.

"I thought that was Princess Zelda's job?" Bowser asked. Inside Toon Link's head, flashbacks from earlier reeled, playing images of Zelda accidentally sipping the wrong potion and passing out in the middle of her cottage floor. He recalled being just as tired as he was now when that occurred. He simply sighed.

At first, Bowser considered kicking him off the stage, believing it'd knock some sense into Toon Link. But then he thought of a different approach. He couldn't enter his room without being jumped by Popo and Nana, the two kids who'd annoyed him out of his quarters. However, from his knowledge, he recalled Toon Link being friends with the twins, or whatever they were. Grinning, he quickly devised a plan. He looked at his book and back to Toon Link.

"Sure, I'll read you a story," Bowser offered. Toon Link's face slightly rose. "But only if you do me a favor. You're familiar with the Ice Climbers, aren't you?" Toon Link nodded in confirmation. "Good. Because I need you to send a message to them. Your friends think it's funny to hop around my room all night and deprive me of my rest and privacy. Well, it isn't. Tell them to quit it and get out. Use force if you have to, I don't care, I just want them gone!"

Toon Link walked away and vanished in a glow of light. Bowser assumed he'd taken up the bargain and snickered. He fantasized of him finally being free of those children, a day he'd been dreaming of for ages. He'd made efforts to do this himself, but they all failed. Looking at his deal with Toon Link, he felt moronic and didn't know why he hadn't thought of it in the past. After all, he did cross paths with him a lot.

Anxious for his plan to succeed, he resumed reading. He checked how many books he had left and found only one. He sighed, unsatisfied.

_Now if only the librarian would buy longer books._

* * *

Time passed, and before Bowser knew it, he'd shredded through the last two books. Completing the last one, he sat it aside and cracked his neck. Sitting without anything to place his back against strained his body. He gave his stack of books one last look before standing up.

Suddenly, he remembered his deal with Toon Link. How long had it been since he'd requested him to get rid of the Ice Climbers? He looked for the watch he sworn was around his wrist, but did not find one. He remembered losing it yesterday during a hike in the Forest. He muttered to himself, realizing it could have been an hour since he last spoke with Toon Link.

_Great, he probably passed out or something before he got there. Why did I even bother asking a half-asleep kid, anyway?_

Just as he reached for his book stack, he heard the ambient sounds of someone teleporting onstage. He turned around and saw Toon Link with a tired yet mad look on his face. He held up in either hand the Ice Climbers. Both had bruises on their faces and shook as they whimpered – they looked terrified. Bowser couldn't respond.

Toon Link tossed the kids and they slid across the floor, stopping before Bowser. They got on their knees, folding their gloved hands.

"We're sorry for ever bothering you! We promise we'll never do it ever again! Please find it in your heart to forgive us, please!" they begged rapidly as tears shed from their eyes. They began crying and held each other. Bowser focused on Toon Link, whose face remained the same. He looked down at the Fighters with his mouth partly open.

"I forgive you?" he answered. The kids stood up.

"Thank you!" they thanked him loudly. They hopped offstage, still crying. Bowser and Toon Link watched as the two plummeted into the darkness below. Their crying faded until they both exploded and the room went dead again. Their hair blew in the wind from the blast.

Bowser looked forward and found Toon Link standing right in front of him. He jumped back, startled. The boy's face had returned to its dull, sleepy self.

"Can I have a story now?" he asked kindly. Bowser shook his head, ignoring what he'd just seen.

"Being a Koopa of my word, yes," he replied.

The two relocated to the book stack and sat on the edge of the platform. Bowser pointed a finger as he skimmed through his collection. He found one, a smaller book named "The Link who Cried Wolf", and removed it from the pile. He held the book in front of him and opened it for Toon Link to see. On one of the pages was a drawing of Toon Link and Wolf, who stalked him from behind a rock as Toon Link played with a toy train in the grass.

"Once upon a time, there was a boy named Link," Bowser read.


End file.
